Gerry Turner Addresses Dating Rumors In First Post Since The Golden Bachelor Divorce Announcement

Gerry Turner on The Golden Bachelor.
(Image credit: ABC)

Gerry Turner has remained silent since going on Good Morning America with The Golden Bachelor winner Theresa Nist to announce their divorce after just three months. During that time, rumors have circulated about what went wrong between the couple — whether the 72-year-old retiree was “caught in a lie” about his willingness to move to be with her or the more recent claim that an argument about cornfields got the best of them. Now Turner has returned to social media, and he addressed a rumor that he’s already dating again.

In his first post since his public split from Theresa Nist, The Golden Bachelor’s inaugural lead took to Instagram with several photos of his precious pup Cody, who welcomed the first signs of summer by hitting the lake for some fun on the boat and loving up on Gerry Turner’s dad. Many Bachelor Nation fans jumped into the comments to offer support to Gerry Turner — as many of his spurned women have for Theresa NIst over the past few weeks — and one inquisitive party mentioned that they “Heard you’re dating again !!!” Turner was quick to shut that down, responding to the fan to say: 

Definitely not

Gerry Turner does not appear to be back on the search for love after all. The fan didn’t clarify where they heard the rumor from, but others in the comments seemed confused by an upcoming event he’s doing with the minor league baseball team the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The IndyStar reported that Turner is “back in the dating game” ahead of the May 17 Love and Roses Night, which will feature a meet-and-greet and Q&A with The Golden Bachelor star. However, it doesn’t look like Turner is actually participating in any of the challenges.

It’s easy to understand why the 72-year-old widower might want to clear up any misconceptions. Gerry Turner’s daughter Angie has said their family has faced “rage and cruelty” since he and Theresa Nist announced their breakup. 

Even those within the ABC reality dating franchise have been quick to offer criticisms of the Indiana native, with one of his contestants saying she “dodged a bullet” with her early-season elimination. Former The Bachelorette cast member Tyler Cameron also weighed in, saying the quick split “put a true stain on love in The Bachelor world.”

Theresa Nist, meanwhile, has also been dealing with the tabloids. One magazine posted unflattering photos of her taking out the trash at her New Jersey home, prompting her to troll the media coverage by staging her own photo shoot with a trash can.

It’s obvious that even though the love story we watched grow on national TV has ended, lots of people are still invested in what’s going on with the former couple. It will be interesting to see what Gerry Turner’s next moves will be now that he’s returned to public life. While we wait to find out, Jenn Tran is set to star in The Bachelorette Season 21, which will hit the 2024 TV schedule at 8 p.m. ET Monday, July 8, on ABC and be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.